Im no stranger to the tempting world of Italian carbs.
Ive had flavorful pizzas, fluffy zeppoles, and strombolis stuffed to near bursting.
Yet, I feel betrayed.
Why did it take over 30 years for me to hear about panzerotti?
And why isnt it happening in every pizzeria, restaurant, and home kitchen world-wide?
I would like to change this, if I may.
Grab some frying oil and the nearest pizza dough, and lets make panzerotti.
(Youre already halfway there if you know what a calzone is.)
The thing that changes everything is the cooking method.
Panzerotti do not get slid into a woodfire oven, nor do they get baked in a conventional oven.
Panzerotti are lovingly deep-fried.
Thats what I did, and I have no regrets.
Bring the dough to near room temperature.
Flour your work surface and stretch the dough into a rectangular-ish shape.
Divide the blob into eight equal chunks.
Stretch each piece out until its thin, with an even thickness.
Do a preliminary stretch of each piece.
When you finish the initial stretch, go back to the first one and start a final stretch.
I stretched each piece to about a five-inch amoeba shape.
Fold the dough over into a half-moon and press the edges to seal.
I dont recommend using a pointy implement like a fork.
The prongs could make holes and youll run into filling explosions later.
(Speaking from experience.)
I thought the dough would feel heavy, but it was the exact opposite.
The dough transforms into a pillowy, light, springy, soft, yet crisp encasement.
The filling was hot and the cheese was the kind of gooey that stretches for a full arms length.
The only thing Ill do differently next time is add some sausage.
Just for the sake of it, I tried air frying a few panzerotti.
The results were as expectednot as great.
Its something you just cant fake with the air fryer.
And thats okay, the air fryer deserves a break, and heck, you deserve a treat.
Add oil to a deep, heavy-bottomed pot.
You need enough to reach a depth of about two inches.
Heat the oil to 360F-375F over medium heat.
Cut it into 8 equal pieces.
Stretch the pieces into 5-inch circular shapes.
Drop the panzerotti into the hot oil one or two at a time.
Cook for about two minutes on each side, or until puffed and well browned.
